Secrets in the Past
by Animus et Anima
Summary: Some familiar names from Booth's past show up during a case. Can he clear the one he believes in or will the secrets be too much? Sequel to "Foreshadowing a Life", I'd recommend you read that one first but I don't think its absolutely necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, again. So this is a sequel to another one of my stories, _Foreshadowing a Life_. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend you read it first. You can probably read this story and be fine, but it will probably make more sense if you've read the first story...**

**Anyway, I do not own Bones or any of its character. They belong to Fox, Hart Hanson, and Kathy Reichs. I'm just borrowing them.**

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Special Agent Seeley Booth was having one of those days where everything that could go wrong did. He overslept because his new ex-girlfriend, Hannah, taken the alarm clock when she left that morning unannounced, and because of that he was late to work where Hacker chewed him out. And then he had to fill out some paperwork before his mandatory session with Sweets (two of his _favorite_ activities). And the twelve year old psychologist was in one of those 'let's share everything that's gone through our minds since our last meeting' moods- at least it felt that way to Booth. Booth wasn't quite ready to tell all of his friends that Hannah had broken up with him, especially because her reason was that he cared too much about Bones. And of course, both the doctors in the room picked up on Booth's displeasure and questioned the cause of it. He was beyond relieved when he got a call saying there was a body discovered at the dump. But Bones continued to ask him what was bothering him the entire way to the landfill. He was happy when they finally reached the crime scene.

"Booth, something is clearly bothering you. You once told me that partners shared things that are bothering them," the anthropologist said as they exited the car; still trying to figure out what was causing her partner's irritation.

"You know those days where everyone seems to annoy you? This is my day for that."

Brennan was quiet for a moment before replying, "I'm familiar with the type of day you are describing. The usually occur before my menstrual cycle-"

"Bones!" That was definitely something he didn't need to hear about. Ever. "We're at a crime scene! Can we talk about this later? When there aren't a couple dozen agents around." She sighed as they approached the man in charge.

"Hey, you the feds?" he asked. He was medium build with shaggy, light brown hair and big, brown eyes. Booth placed him at around fifty.

"Special Agent Booth and this is my partner Dr. Brennan."

"Officer Miller. Good to have y'all. Body's over there, ma'am." Brennan immediately went towards the decomposing remains and studying them.

"So, what do you know so far?" Booth asked the officer.

"A couple found the body when they were taking the dog for a walk. Apparently the pup went wild, so the guy went to see why and came across the remains. We sent them on their merry way; but if you wanna question them, we've got their address."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but put their names in the file anyway. I'll let you know if we need anything." The two men went their separate ways; Booth towards his partner and Miller to talk to some of his men.

Booth came up behind Brennan. He loved watching her work. She'd get this cute face whenever she was dealing with bones, and he could just sit there and watch her for hours at a time- not that he had ever had the opportunity before. Booth quickly became lost in his thoughts about his partner and their relationship (or lack thereof). Bones' voice pulled him back into reality.

"Do you need something, Booth?"

"Just curious about what you found."

"Caucasian female, between fort and fifty years old. Looks like a bullet wound to her frontal lobe was the cause of death. I believe she was around one hundred and seventy-seven cm, which is about five feet- ten inches and weighed somewhere between eight and ninety kilograms, about one hundred and seventy-five and two hundred pounds. There are a few marks that indicate that she has broken her left wrist several times, and her hands have abstained some damaged, but all of these wounds have had time to heal. I doubt there is any link between them and her death, though it is still possible. It will probably be more helpful in identifying her, though. I estimate time of death being between four and eight months ago. There are some insect larvae around the body and some burnt flesh. Cam and Hodgins will want to look at them."

"So, we're packing it all up?" Brennan nodded. Booth turned to the FBI techs and ordered for them to do so and send it to the Jeffersonian.

The rest of the day flew by. Brennan questioned the agent's mood until he dropped her off at the lab, never revealing anything about his breakup. He then went back to his office to finish some paperwork. Of course, with no new cases in the past few weeks, the secretarial work was completed with several hours to spare. He considered going by the lab to see what the squints had found, but didn't want to deal Bones' interrogation again. He loved her and all, but he knew she would ask what caused the break up and he couldn't lie to her- at least not about that. Not anymore.

So he checked his email. Nothing very interesting. Some spam, a message from his brother who was on his honeymoon, a few agents asking for his help or opinion on a case, and finally a letter from his cousin, Jett. Booth was a little surprised that Jett Griffen had sent him a message since he was currently deployed in Afghanistan. The message was a simple one, just letting the family know he was still alive and okay. But Jett's emails always made the FBI agent think back to the week he spent with his cousin after his last tour before joining the bureau. More than just the time he spent with Jett, but his babysitter, too.

Mattie Johnston, the blonde, brown eyed teenage foster girl Booth had tried to help right after he got back from serving his country. Booth had only been around for five days, but within that time she had disappeared for two days- scaring Jett and he. When she turned up the day before Booth left, she confided in Booth that her foster parents, Larry and Kirra Jordan, were abusing her. Booth accidentally met the couple and then not so accidentally kicked the crap out of abusive man. Of course, Mattie scolded him for picking a fight with them when she found out; so, while Booth was cleaning up from the fight Mattie took Jett to the park, where the boy broke his arm. Booth had momentarily blamed Mattie, but before he could apologize for acting like an ass, Mattie's social worker released a missing child release for her. Mattie had left before Jett came out with a cast on his arm, and Booth hadn't seen her since. He had received a letter from her, basically thanking him for being there for her. Which only making him feel more like crap- but that was beside the point.

When Booth had first got a job at the FBI, he had been tempted to run Mattie's name through the system to make sure she was okay, but couldn't bring himself to do so. She had asked him not to, and he wanted to respect her wishes. Booth shook his head. He knew Mattie was probably doing okay. Sometimes, he still wished that he could find her to make sure that her foster parents hadn't messed her up too badly.

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**So, what do you think so far? Good, bad, what? Let me know. :)**


	2. A New Day, A New Problem

**Hey, is anyone else really happy season 6 has started? Because I got really excited... though, I want normal looking Sweets back. I don't really like his new look. **

**Anyway, here's the next chapter of _Secrets in the Past_...

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The next morning, Booth was feeling a lot more energized than the previous day. He actually got to work early, and wasn't about ready to shoot Sweets when he came to ask Booth about the new case. So as the clock slowly approached lunch time, he decided to check and see how the squints were doing. Usually they had something by now, but he still hadn't heard anything from them. Worst case scenario was that he just dragged Bones out to lunch and tell her why he was in such a bad mood the day before.

When he got to the lab, he was greeted by Cam.

"Hey, Seeley. Running a little late?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You're usually here as soon as we get an ID on a vic."

"You got an ID?" That was news to him.

"I thought Dr. Brennan called you…" Booth shook his head. "Oh, well, Angela finished the facial drawing last night and ran it through the missing person database. When Dr. Brennan came in this morning, there was a match. I just assumed she called you." Booth began to wonder if his attitude the day before had caused Bones to be in a bad mood today. She always kept him up to date on their cases.

"I'll ask her about it. It's weird for Bones to keep me out of the loop."

"I was just going to get the victim's record from Angela, if you want to come. Angela's been researching the vic since she got the ID."

Booth nodded (though he thought it was odd that Angela was doing his job for him), so he and Cam walked towards the artist office. Inside they found Brennan, Angela and Hodgins waiting on Cam. Booth's eyes immediately locked onto his partner, hoping to find a reason as to why she hadn't already called him. She however avoided all eye contact; something was bothering her.

"Look who I found wondering the lab," Cam greeted everyone.

"Hey, Booth. Wanna hear about the victim?" The agent nodded. "Okay, so the victim was a forty-seven year old, Caucasian woman, named Kirra Tiffany Jordan." Booth's head shot towards Angela. He knew that name; he had been thinking about it the day before. "She's divorced, and has been since she got out of prison about five years ago. She and her husband, Larson Lloyd Jordan, were both convicted of child abuse. Ms. Jordan had a shorter sentence because she made a plea bargin. She's been missing for six months; she was reported when she didn't pay her rent on time."

"So, ex-husband's looking pretty good for this," Hodgins piped up.

Angela nodded, "He got out seven months ago."

"What about the child they abused? I had several revenge killings come to me when I was working in New York," Cam supplemented.

"We'd have to find her first," Booth answered. He decided against telling his friends that he knew her. Anytime any of them were connected to the case, it made it more difficult. Kirra Jordan might have been a cruel woman, but even she deserved justice. (_Just keep telling yourself that, Seeley; maybe you'll eventually believe it._)

"Her name was Mattie Christine Johnston. I already opened the files, but there was nothing. There's no record of a Mattie Christine Johnston ever being in the foster system."

"Oh, man. This is-"

"Hodgins, if you say conspiracy, I will _not_ hesitate to shoot you." Mattie wasn't involved in a conspiracy; Booth's gut told him that much.

"Hey, you said it; not me." Booth rolled his eyes. How could she not even have a case record? There had to be an explanation. He had tried to respect her privacy by not looking into her record, but now he wasn't going to have much of a choice. And even if there wasn't a reason, Booth was so concerned he might have looked her up anyway.

"I'll call the prosecutor in charge of Jordan's case. Maybe she knows how to contact Mattie."

"Already done," Angela answered. "She remembers the case and that the girl was more worried about the boy she babysat than the actual trial, but she doesn't remember the girl's real name, though, or who the kid was. Mattie changed her name because her family before the Jordans threatened her, so the foster system gave her a temporary name. The lawyer actually delivered a note to the kid and his cousin or something for her. McClung, that's the lawyer, remembers because it was a weird request." Booth fought back a groan. That note was the one where Mattie thanked him for being there for her and apologizing for Jett's arm. A girl can't send a note like that and then kill someone fifteen years later… Can she?

"Why did you call her, Ange?" Brennan asked from the corner, interrupting Booth's thoughts.

The artist shrugged. "It seemed more exciting than doing stuff for the archeology department."

"Okay, I'll go back to my office and see what I can find out about Mattie or whatever her real name is. And I'll look into ole Larry too." Booth was about to head back to his office when Angela called out again.

"Booth, one more thing. The lawyer told me that the Jordans told everyone that someone attacked them the morning before they were arrested. They couldn't ID him, but you might want to see if you can get anything from that lead."

Booth sighed. Of all the things for Angela to find… "You want me to find a person that had no name or description?"

"He knew their foster daughter."

"You know, babe, you make a pretty good detective," Hodgins complimented.

"I will," Booth cut in. He didn't need to see the bug guy making sex eyes with Angela. "I guess I should pick something up from the dinner and go do some research. Let me know if you guys find anything." Booth rushed out of the lab. He felt bad for not talking to Bones, but he knew if he stayed for too much longer someone would figure out that he was hiding something- probably Brennan or Cam. That didn't mean he didn't want to know why Bones didn't call him about the ID or even look at him. Had he really upset her that much the day before?

Booth went back to his office and looked up Larry's whereabouts, only to find that he was in Indiana. He made a call to Larry's parole officer and had Mattie's foster dad on his way to the capitol. Larry would arrive sometime the next day. He then proceeded to look up Mattie Christine Johnston. Unfortunately, Angela was right; there was no record on her anywhere. Booth suddenly had an idea. After about an hour of looking up a new person, he finally received their phone number. So, he of course called it in hopes of it leading to Mattie's number or address.

"Hello?" an overly sweet voice answered after several rings.

"Hello, this is Special Agent Booth with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I'm looking for a Carla Goodard."

"That's me. Well, it was before I got married. Am I in trouble?"

"No, but you are in charge of alumni from Northwestern's undergraduate program, right?" Mattie had told him that she was going to go there the following school year.

"Yes…" the woman seemed unsure about how she should be answering.

"I'm looking for someone who supposedly graduated in '99. I was wondering if you could give me an address or number for her."

"I can try. Let me go grab the information I have." Booth listened as she dug through her possessions looking for whatever information she could find. "Here we go. Okay, what's the name?"

"Mattie Christine Johnston." Booth heard Carla start to hum. After a couple minutes of what Booth could only interpret as random notes, the woman sighed.

"I'm sorry, agent. I don't have any record of a Mattie Johnston anywhere. Not even in the yearbooks. Sorry I can't help more."

"No problem. Thank you for your time." Booth hung up with that. If Mattie wasn't even in the yearbook, did she change her mind about Northwestern? Or did she just go back to using her birth name? Booth hoped it was the second one; she had seemed so excited to be headed off to school (something Booth still didn't understand). He also wished he could remember what the girl looked like more vividly so Angela could draw a sketch. He could only get a vague memory of her appearance. He could only really remember a few details about her: her brown eyes that almost matched his, short blonde hair, and her close to sickly thin body. He sighed. Maybe Larry would know her real name; they, hopefully, would have used it when they swore her in. But only time would tell the truth.

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**So, I'm kind of curious, though... Is anyone reading this?**


	3. Lawyers,Psychologist,&Phone Calls,Oh My!

Booth had been trying to find any information on what had become of Mattie Johnston for several hours with absolutely no luck. The court records made a note that Mattie Johnston was not the girl's real name, but that her foster family prior to the Jordans had also made threats against her, so she and social services had given her a temporary alternate identity for protection. That fact in itself made Booth even more irritable. Mattie had been truly unlucky when it came to foster families, apparently.

Booth called Mattie's social worker, Cassie Baxter, about four- thirty that afternoon. She was the person who had come to check on Mattie and found out that she was being abused, so he thought that she might be able to tell him something. She answered after several rings.

"Baxter."

"Hi, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI. I have a question about a teenage girl you were in charge of back in ninety-five."

"I've looked out for several hundred kids over the years. You expect me to remember one?"

Booth sighed. "Not exactly; I was informally requesting the records for her."

"I'm sorry; Agent Booth, but I need a warrant. But if you can that, then you're welcome to the records." Booth should have expected that.

"Okay, thanks." Booth immediately went in search of his favorite lawyer.

He found Caroline Julian in her office. He lightly knocked, and she told him to enter.

"I'm busy, Cherie. Do you need something?"

"A warrant for a foster girl's record." That caught the woman's attention.

"You have a new case?"

"Yeah, and this girl has two identities so we need her record to find out what her real one is. She's not exactly a child anymore though."

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem. Where is this warrant going exactly?"

"Chicago. That's where the vic, Kirra Jordan, and her foster daughter, Mattie Johnston, are from."

"I remember that case." A memory swept over Caroline's face.

"What?" Booth was suddenly confused.

"I lived in the Windy City for a few years. I was almost chosen to prosecute that case, in fact; but I got a job offer here about a few days before, and David had already accepted a job with a new law firm. I only remember the case because she'd been missing a few days before too."

"Did they give her real name out on the news, then?" Booth asked hopefully.

"She wasn't missing like that. Her boyfriend was looking for her with his little brother at a local part." The agent suddenly knew what his friend was talking about. The first day Booth had met Mattie she had gone to get Booth and Jett water without telling them. They had noticed that she wasn't there and asked a woman and daughter to look in the bathroom for her; apparently he now faced the mother.

"So, you think you can get me those records?" he asked, not showing his own realization.

"Sure, Cherie. I'll have them here by tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks." Booth returned to his office. Now he actually had to worry about someone figuring out that he knew Mattie. He and the squints usually got away with being too close to a case, but the fact Booth had beaten the crap out of the primary suspect would definitely be a conflict of interest- and one Booth didn't really want on his record. Caroline would also have to tell the defense attorney, and somehow Booth would probably be on trial, even if he was in Afghanistan at the time of Kirra Jordan's murder.

Booth had managed to get back to his office, but before he could even begin working Sweets walked into his office.

"Need something, Sweets?"

"Just curious if you knew anything about the victim yet. Maybe I could put together a profile of the killer."

"Yeah, but the ex-husband's looking pretty good for this. The victim was Kirra Tiffany Jordan. She and her now ex-husband, Larson Lloyd Jordan, were arrested and convicted of child abuse in ninety-five. Their seventeen year old, foster daughter, Mattie Christine Johnston, missed her social worker's appointment because the kid she was babysitting broke his arm and one thing led to another and they found out about the abuse. Kirra got out about five years ago, and her landlord reported her missing when she didn't pay rent six months ago. It was a bullet shot to the head, according to Bones."

"Are you and Dr. Brennan handling this case okay?" Sweets asked as soon as Booth stopped talking.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You both have a history with violent parents. And of course the obvious."

"Obvious?" Booth knew Sweets was good, but he couldn't have possibly figured out the agent's connection to Mattie.

"Well, I just meant that since-" Sweets was cut off by Booth's phone going off.

Booth held up a finger to silence the boy, as he flipped his phone open. "Booth."

"_Hey, it's me. I thought you'd want to know Hodgins found some fibers that we missed. If you can find Larry Jordan was wearing that day then we can compare some of his clothes to the fiber."_ Brennan replied. Booth was a little relieved that she called him. Whatever her reason for not telling him about Kirra's death, she had moved on.

"Okay. But it could be Mattie Johnston, too, Bones," he said in his most convincing voice. He didn't believe, but thought it needed to be said.

"_There's no evidence that a woman with no serious record committed this crime. Plus, Angela found several threatening emails from Larry to-"_

"Whoa, back up a second. Did you just jump to a conclusion?"

"Dr. Brennan jumped to a conclusion?" Sweets asked. Booth jumped a little; he had momentarily forgotten his presence. He answered Sweets with a nod.

"_I suppose I did. But I'm trusting my gut on this, Booth. I know it's usually not accurate, but I'm fairly positive that it's correct this time."_

"So, you're going purely on gut instinct; no science whatsoever?"

"_No, Larry abused Mattie for over a month; a man like that won't just lose all violent tendencies."_

"Who are you and what have you done with Bones?"

"_What? Booth, it's me. Who else would be talking to you about the case on my phone?"_ There was a moment of pause, _"Are you seeing hallucinations again?" _she as in all seriousness, Booth couldn't help but laugh.

"No, only what's really here. I just meant that you're jumping to conclusions _and_ using psychology. That's very unlike you."

"She's using psychology?" Sweets was becoming ecstatic.

"Go away," Booth commanded. "I'll email you what we have." The child psychologist did as he was told.

"_Where do you expect me to go? I'm on the phone with you. Are you still in a foul mood?"_

"I wasn't talking to you, Bones. And no, I woke up much in a much better mood this morning, thanks for asking… Is that why you didn't tell me about getting an ID? You thought I'd still be in a bad mood?"

"_No, of course not. It wouldn't make sense to not call you about the case; that would only irritate you more."_ Booth could tell she wasn't lying. At least until her next sentence, _"I thought Angela called you."_

"Since when does Angela call me about leads?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Never mind," Booth sighed. "You wanna grab something from the diner for dinner?"

"I can't."

"Okay… Well, I'm going to interrogate Larry Jordan tomorrow morning; do you want me to pick you up on my way to work so we can grill him together?"

"No, I need to study Kirra's bones more thoroughly and I have several cases from bone storage I need to look through." Booth knew she was hiding something again, but decided not to push it right now. She'd tell him when she was ready.

"Then I guess I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what I find out."

"I've got to go, Booth." The phone conversation ended with that.

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**So, any ideas on what's gotten into Brennan? Any ideas at all? Okay, I'll make this as clear as possible... I'm begging for reviews. Please?**


	4. A Friendly Chat

**Thank you all for reviewing! It inspired me to write more and now you have a pretty long chapter! Oh, and I think a lot of you know what's coming up...

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Booth spent the next several hours looking through Kirra Jordan's documents. He still had a feeling that her ex-husband was responsible, but without having to give an explanation as to why, he had to treat this like any other case. _Who am I kidding? This is not a normal case. Mattie's involved and I'm worried about her. Snap out of it! She's not a seventeen year old, abuse victim any more. She probably is doing just fine. She's probably a lawyer or a doctor or a professor or something with a family who cares and protects her and would do anything for her._ Booth shook his head. _If this was a normal case, then Bones would be telling me what I did to piss her off or better yet, she wouldn't be keeping something from me at all. I would be able to tell her everything that's been on my mind for the past two days, including the fact that Hannah and I broke up and that I know the woman we're looking for and I don't want to believe that she is capable of murdering. At least with this case, Bones wants to charge Larry as badly as I do. _The agent let out another deep sigh. This was going to be a long case.

He continued to research, only to find that Kirra had kept her nose relatively clean since she regained her freedom a few years earlier. There had been a couple drunken misconducts and driving tickets, but she hadn't harmed anyone since Mattie.

Booth looked down at the time, eight- fifteen. _Well, that explains why it's getting so dark outside._ He wanted to do more to find and clear Mattie, but there wasn't anything else he could think of to do until he got a lead. Booth was just packing up his things to head home, when his cell phone rang.

"Booth."

"Hey, Booth, your parolee just got to town. I thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah, thanks Charlie… You think you could get them to bring him by the Hoover building? I want to talk to him before I head home."

"Sure. He'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks." With that the two agents hung up. Booth called Bones, but she didn't answer any of her phones. He figured that, even if she would be even angrier at him tomorrow, since she wasn't planning on helping him interview Larry, he would go ahead and interrogate him.

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later Booth received a call that the man he considered scum of the earth was in interrogation room number one. He was about half way to said room, when he ran into his favorite baby duck.

"Agent Booth, you're here late."

"Yeah, I was looking into the Jordan case. In fact, I've got the prime suspect waiting for me right now."

"You've already got her ex-husband here?" He clearly wasn't expecting that.

"Parolee, Sweets. They usually come when they're called."

"Do you mind if I watch?"

"As long as you don't make me wear an ear piece." Booth started to walk towards the door, but Sweets stopped.

"You aren't waiting for Dr. Brennan?"

"She told me she didn't want to talk to him tomorrow, and she's not answering her phone. What's the difference between me doing the interview alone tonight or tomorrow?"

"You and Dr. Brennan are fighting." It was more of a statement than a question or guess.

"What? No! How the hell did you get that from what I just said?"

"You're body language indicates-"

"You know what; I don't really want to know." Booth didn't care if Sweets watched his interview, but really didn't want to listen to the psychobabble that was sure to come from a conversation with the psychologist about his and Bones' relationship.

Booth stood outside the door for a second; trying to collect himself so he wouldn't punch the man like he had in the past. One deep breath and he opened the door. Sitting at the table was a balding, slightly wider, more wrinkly version of Larry. Booth was happy that time had been unkind to him, but didn't let it show to the suspect or anyone watching the room.

"Hi, I'm Special Agent Booth. Thanks for coming to see us."

"You didn't leave me much of choice." Larry's face scrunched together as if deep in thought. "Have we met before?"

"No, I don't think so," Booth lied perfectly. He doubted even Sweets picked up on it. "Do you know why you're here, Mr. Jordan?"

"No. I was just told to get my ass here or I'd go back to that hellhole I was wrongfully sent to." Booth had an urge to beat the guy to a pulp for a second time. He had seen Mattie's bruises with his own eyes, and this guy had the nerve to say the teenager had been lying? And the fact at their first encounter, Larry had practically admitted that he abused the girl made the agent furious. But because of the agent recording the interview and the annoying psychologist on the other side of the window, he ignored the impulse.

"Your ex-wife, Kirra Jordan, was found murdered. So, I want to know where you were approximately six months ago when she died."

"About time she croaked," he answered disdainfully. "That lying bitch told the prosecutor that I was beating Mattie or whatever her real name was. I didn't know that Kirra was hurting her! But they conspired against me, and those two bitches lied through their teeth to convict me. Kirra made a deal so she'd get less time than me. So, sorry I'm not sad because she finally kicked the bucket."

"So, you're saying Kirra and Mattie lied in court to get you arrested. Why?"

"Hell if I know. You think I like this? Who ran into that girl's room when she was callin' out a names in the middle of the night to come save her? Me. Sure, might not have been my name, but better than leavin' her there wigging out." Booth decided to ignore the 90's lingo, and continue questioning the man.

"What was the name?" Booth hoped this person could tell him where she was.

"Ricky, Ross, Rusty, something like that. It was a long time ago. Why?"

"Maybe she told him the truth and he went after Kirra. Remember the last name?"

"Nope. Not sure if she ever told me one. But you know what; I was good to that girl. I let her get by with doing whatever it was she did to her hair and wear those contacts so her old family wouldn't ever recognize her."

"What do you mean?"

"The girl bleached her hair and wore those contacts that changed her eye color."

"What are the original colors? We're having trouble finding Mattie to question her." Not a lie, but not the real reason for Booth wanting to know. "More information could help us find her."

"Never saw her real hair, but her eyes weren't brown. They were that light blue color, you know what I mean?" Booth cursed himself when he immediately thought of Brennan's eyes. It wasn't the time for that, especially with Sweets in the other room.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well, she had those. But she was really quiet most of the time; except to her boyfriend apparently."

"Let's get back to your ex-wife," the investigator said. Booth had a gut feeling that he was the boyfriend. "You never told me where you were."

"I was visiting a friend."

"Mind giving me the friend's name?"

"Yeah, I do. Hey, don't you have to warrant or something to ask about that?"

"We're only having a friendly chat. You aren't under arrest or anything. So where were you exactly?"

"Well, here's the thing: me and this friend had a bit of a disagreement… And she might be willing to say anything to send me back to the big house."

"So, your friend is an ex- girlfriend." Larry nodded his head. Booth sighed. He didn't buy any of Larry's load of crap. The only helpful thing was that the only two of three traits of Mattie he could clearly remember (besides the bruises) weren't real and that she had a connection to guy whose name probably started with an R.

Booth stood up and headed towards the door. But before he walked out he turned back to Larry. "Hopefully, Mr. Jordan, you won't leave the area. If you do then we'll have a problem. It was a friendly chat this time, next time you might not be so lucky."

Larry's eyes went big, before shouting, "You sonavabitch! You're the kid who came into my home and hurt my wife and me!"

Booth turned around and came back into the room. "Mr. Jordan, I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"You're that brat's boyfriend!" Larry screamed. By this point he was standing up, and moving towards Booth.

"Sir, you aren't making much sense."

"Go to Hell! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Larry's fist suddenly connected with Booth's nose. Booth quickly recovered and pulled out his cuffs.

"You just assaulted a federal agent. Do you realize how much trouble you just put yourself in?"

"You sonavabitch. You and Terri must have been a great couple."

"Terri your ex-girlfriend or something?" Booth asked. Maybe the guy's alibi would check out. Booth hoped it wouldn't, but it was possible.

"No, Terri ain't the right name. You probably know Mattie's real name anyway, though."

"Never been great with names, have you, Larry?" Booth muttered in his ear so only the suspect would hear him.

"Sonavabitch."

"You like that word." Booth continued by reading him his rights, before leading him out of the room. As they left room, Sweets stepped outside of the observation room.

"Agent Booth, I have a couple of questions for Mr. Jordan." Booth sighed. _Of course, he did._

"Fine, Sweets ask away."

"Mr. Jordan, you said that your foster daughter screamed out a name in her sleep. Do you remember how he was related?"

"She was always callin' out to her brother most of the time. Occasionally her parents."

"And his name started with an R, right?"

"Yeah."

"Was his name Russ?"

"That's what it was!" Booth looked between the baby duck and the scum of the earth. He knew what Sweets was thinking but knew the kid was wrong.

"And do you know about anything that happened to Mattie after your incarceration?"

"I saw that she wrote few books. My cellmate was a fan of hers." Booth sighed. Larry was only fueling Sweets suspicions, and probably didn't even know it.

"What were the books about?"

"Hell if I know."

"Would you recognize a picture of her?"

"Why are y'all asking about the foster girl? I thought I was here about Kirra."

"You are, but anything that could help us find Mattie would be helpful."

"You think she did it? She couldn't even defend herself from me… Shit." Booth and Sweets exchanged similar looks at the man's accidental admission.

"Sweets, did he just admit to abusing his foster daughter?"

"I believe he did… But we already knew that."

"Yeah, but it's a lot different of tune than what he was saying in the interview. Anything else you want to change?"

"I wanna lawyer."

"Let's go, then, Larry." Booth was about to drag him away when Sweets stopped him again.

"I want to show him a picture of her, Booth."

"It's not her. She would have told me."

"There are similarities between the two cases-"

"She would have told me." He couldn't believe the psychologist was pushing this so much. The chance of it happening anyway was like a billion to one. The fact Booth knew Mattie made it even slimmer.

"Who the hell are we talking about?" Larry cut into the FBI employees' conversation.

"Mr. Jordan, did you ever lock Mattie in a car trunk for a couple of days?" Booth rolled his eyes. Mattie never mentioned-

"Once. A couple of days before he-" he nodded towards Booth "- beat the living daylight out of me and Kirra."

"I didn't do that!" It wasn't a lie. He didn't hurt the woman, nullifying the entire statement. But then the information sunk in. Bones had been locked in a trunk for two days for breaking a dish. Mattie had been unable to leave somewhere for two days for making more of a mess in the kitchen. They had both been warned that they would be punished. They both had blue eyes. Possibly brothers named Russ who protected them at one point. Parents who left them to the foster system. They both went to Northwestern and would have been set to graduate around the same time. Both incredibly bright. Bones had been acting strange since they got the case, too. But she would have told him… Wouldn't she?

"Agent Booth?" Sweets' voice cut through Booth's thoughts.

"What, Sweets?"

"When you're done taking him in, will you come see me in my office?"

"No." Booth shoved Larry forward, leaving Sweets to stand there, starring at him wide- eyed and gaping.


	5. The Evidence in the Letter

**Hey, sorry I'm a little late in getting this up. School's been a little hectic, especially if you throw in band. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this next chapter.**

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Booth went through the rest of the night on autopilot. He knew that Larry wouldn't confess to him anymore that night; but at this point he could care less. Booth had wanted to scream at Sweets that he was wrong that Bones and Mattie couldn't possibly be the same person; but he couldn't, and not just because it would have given away that he _was_ the man who had beaten Larry. He was beginning to see where Sweets was coming from, and knew that the theory fit to some degree. But that didn't mean he wanted to believe it.

When Booth finally got home, he was still wrestling with who to trust. His gut and Sweets, or Bones. He wandered from one room of his apartment to another, trying to find something to distract his mind from the theory that was hanging in his mind. He went to the kitchen and thought of when he and Mattie bickering about who cleaned up from lunch. He went into the den and remembered when Bones had readjusted his back. He went into the bathroom and remembered his partner storming in on him taking a bath. He finally made it back to his bedroom, the one room he thought would be safe. It was fairly bare; of course, it had been since Hannah left. Booth remembered a box that he had stuffed in his closet that held the note from Mattie. The note from Mattie.

Booth rushed and pulled out the box. He dug through some things from his time in the Army and some of his first FBI cases before finding the note. He pulled it out and read over it.

_Dear Booth,_

_I wanted to know how truly sorry I am for not paying closer attention to Jett. I should have been more focused on him, but I was already feeling guilty about the fight you had with Larry. I was worrying about you, and let it interfere with my job. I promise you, though you have no way of knowing that I will keep my word, that I will never let my feelings impede my responsibilities again._

_I also wish to thank you. I know we did not know each other very long, but you reminded me that people can care about you for being you. You had no need to worry about me, but you did anyway. And if you hadn't fought with Larry and Kirra then I probably would have paid more attention to Jett- no, Booth, I'm not blaming, just informing you of the likely scenario. If Jett had not broken his arm, then I would have gone back for the meeting with my social worker, and then there would have been not investigation of my short disappearance and I would still be in that nightmare of a house. _

_In short, Booth, I want to thank you. You're the first person I have perceived as an equal who I consider my friend. You will do extremely well in law enforcement, and the FBI would be lucky to have you. If I have learned anything about you, it is that you will try and find me again for one reason or another. Don't. You have helped give me the confidence to face what life has thrown at me, and know everything will be fine. Again, thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_Mattie Christine Johnston_

Booth sighed. He hadn't looked at the note since he stuck the box in his closet almost ten years ago, but now, it was clear as day whose hand writing was scrawled on that paper and the envelope to match it. It was Bones', without a doubt.

The next morning, Booth drove straight to the lab. He had to talk to his partner; find out what was going on. And he wasn't going to let her back out of this conversation either. He hadn't recognized the blue-eyed, brunette doctor as the blonde, brown-eyed seventeen year old when they met years ago, but she had a different name as well as her look. What could her excuse be? What could stop her from telling him when they first met? He understood why keep it when they started their partnership; he would have made an even bigger fuss over her, and they were still kind of mad at each other. But why not once they had become friends- or whatever they were now? Why not before they left for their seven months apart? He needed those answers.

Booth entered the lab at around eight o'clock and took a quick glance around in search of the anthropologist. However, the artist was the only one he saw. And she saw him.

"Hey, Booth. Bren's not in yet."

"Do you know when she'll get here?"

"Well, I got here about thirty minutes ago and told her to go home, so she'll probably be back here in like an hour or so. But if you can get her out of here for a few hours, I'd appreciate it. She slept on her couch last night. She hasn't done that since we all got back. Something's bothering her, but she won't talk about it. At least not with me. Has she mentioned anything to you?"

Booth shook his head. "She's been hiding something from me for a while."

"I've been telling both of you that for years." Booth shot her a glare. Angela always was implying stuff about the partners.

"I'm going to wait for her in her office. If you see her, don't mention I'm in there, okay?"

"Sure…"

Booth went into the dark office, and laid down on Brennan's couch. He took the letter out from his pocket, and read it again. That's all it felt like he'd been doing since he realized who the author of the letter was. He read it over and over, trying to figure out why she had kept everything a secret. But the letter only showed a thankful teenage girl with a small hint of the language showing the woman she had become.

After about an hour and a half (and Booth rereading the note for probably the fiftieth time or so), the lights suddenly flickered on. Booth lifted his head up to see his partner move towards her desk, completely oblivious to him. He sat up as she hung up her coat. When she turned around, and saw him she jumped a little. Bones rarely jumped.

"Little jumpy today, Bones?"

"I didn't see you there when I came in."

"I've been here for over an hour. I thought you might want to go talk to Larry with me."

"I told you last night that I had a lot of lab work that I needed to do today."

"Right. I just thought you, I dunno, might have changed your mind."

"No… Booth, are you alright? You seem a little tense."

"I'm fine. But can you give Angela something to run for me?"

"Sure, what is it?" Booth pulled out the letter, and threw it on her desk.

"Three sets of prints on that. Mine, Ms. McClung, and one other. Think we should run them through the system?"

Brown met blue and in that moment, they both knew the truth.

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**Reviews are always welcomed!**


	6. Coming Clean

Neither one could tell you how long they stood there, waiting for the other to say something. Both were afraid of what that note meant for them and the possible reciprocation on their relationship. Booth thought they had told each other everything, but she had kept the largest secret possible. Brennan, on the other hand, was simply afraid of what he would say. For so long, she had just assumed that he had no memory of her seventeen year old alter ego; he never showed a clue that he had recognized the names as they came up in the case, either. But he was there, wanting an explanation as to why she had never told him.

Finally, Brennan broke the silence. "Booth…"

"I just want to know why you didn't tell me before."

"There was no reason to," Brennan answered. She was building her walls back up, and Booth instantly knew he had to keep them down.

"_There was no reason to?_ You didn't think that I'd be happy to know that you were okay? Do you know how many times I've laid in bed night wondering what happened to you?"

"I wasn't even sure that you remembered me..."

"How could I forget you? I think I even told you that when you got lost in the park."

"You did," Brennan confirmed. " But you never mentioned a Mattie Johnston to me or Sweets."

"And why would I, Bones? There was no way for me to know that you were Mattie Johnston! And that's not exactly the kind of thing I like sharing with Sweets." Booth practically hissed the last part. "Plus, that's not exactly a reason for you _not_ to tell me."

"I thought if you remembered the girl you knew as Mattie, then you would have figured it out when I gave you my parents' case file."

"How would I get from your parents' file to you being Mattie?" The picture was one of fifteen year old Brennan with brown hair and blue eyes. Not the abused, blonde, brown eyed Mattie.

"What were the names in the file, Booth?" she sighed.

"Matthew and Christine… Brennan. You used you're their names." Brennan nodded. "Well, I wasn't exactly trying to find connections between you and Mattie."

"And there was no reason to. I've been trying to separate myself from my time in the system."

"Well, now, it's found you. I've already asked for a warrant for your case file. And once I get that, everyone else is going to know it's you. Hell, Sweets already figured it out."

"What?" Fear and shock spread over the doctor's face.

"Yeah, I questioned Larry last night and Sweets watched. Larry mentioned the nights when you'd cry out for someone whose name started with an R. When I dragged his useless ass to arrest him, Sweets asked him if it was Russ and then if they ever stuck you in a trunk… you didn't mention that."

"Yes, I did. Last time we spoke to Gordon Wyatt professionally, he encouraged us to bear our metaphorical scars with Sweets and that was my scar. How else would he know?"

"You didn't mention it when you were Mattie, though. I would have hit him harder." At Brennan's un-amused glare, he continued, "But, uh, we've got to get the body reexamined by someone else."

"What? Why? My examination was unbiased; I didn't even know it was Kirra until after I finished it. "

"You're connected, Bones. It's kinda like with Max's case; we all know you'd separate them, but a jury might not see it that way."

"And the defense attorney would only make me seem more emotional." Booth nodded. They sat there for a minute, silently trying to figure out what their next move would be, both personally and professionally.

"At least we've already placed Larry in custody." Booth gave Brennan a confused look. "You said you arrested him last night before Sweets talked to him."

The agent sighed. "That was more punching me again. He may not be able to remember a name to save his life, but he can apparently remember a face."

"What did Sweets say?"

"Nothing about that. Though, Larry kept making comments about how I was your boyfriend from when you were living with him and Kirra."

"Booth, you know as well as I do that nothing happened between us then."

"Of course I know that. But that doesn't mean I didn't deny kicking his ass." Brennan gave him another slightly annoyed look. "Hey, I want to stay on this case as much as you do. Only difference is my name isn't in the record because no one asked you about me. And we both know Sweets would never stop asking us about that."

"Actually, I was asked if I knew who you were several times. I just said I didn't know."

Booth knew his partner's lying skills, so it worried him that the lawyers had so easily accepted her word. "Then, I guess I should thank you for that. Because at least one of us needs to make sure that Larry goes back to jail."

"You think he did it?"

"He's a lying sonovabitch who beat you, Bones. He lied about it to my face. Plus, our other main suspect was in Indonesia when the murder took place."

"And the only other possible suspect that we know about was in Afghanistan during the same time frame," she added causing her partner to smile, which in turn made Brennan grin.

Booth had a sudden urge to kiss her in that moment, but restrained himself. He knew as much as he wanted it, last time he had kissed her unexpectedly, it had caused them to split up for seven months. He wasn't ever going to do that again. And he and Hannah had just broken up; he would have to tell her about his lack of a relationship before even trying to convince her that they would work... again.

Booth's thoughts were interrupted by Brennan's voice. "I need to tell Sweets that I'm Mattie before he reads my case file."

"I'll go with you. I need to make up a story about why I stormed out of the Hoover building last night after my little chat with Larry instead of going and talking to him."

Brennan stood up and Booth helped her into the jacket she had hung up only minutes before. From there, his hand found its natural resting place on the small of her back and he guided her towards his car.

Angela watched as the partners walked out of Bren's office. She knew that they hadn't been the same since returning from their time apart; they had become more professional and less flirty. (Angela blamed Hannah for that, because Booth thought he was in love with her. Though it was obvious he and Bren still had that connection that could power a small town.) But from what she could see of their exit, their relationship had reverted back to normal. And God knew that they had to get there before anything else.


	7. Truth Revealed

**Hey, everyone! So I kinda realized that I haven't put any disclaimers in this story... So in case you hadn't already figured it out, I do not own these characters; they were created and belong to FOX, Hart Hanson, and Kathy Reichs.**

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The agent and anthropologist entered Booth's SUV, and drove to the FBI building. The car ride was silent, until about half way there, when Brennan broke the silence. "So, how is Hannah doing? I haven't heard from her in a while." Booth had noticed that Bones had asked about the reporter's well- being on a regular basis which was very out of character for her, even if they had been on their way to becoming friends. He wondered why she cared so much and how much Indonesia had changed her; but like always, he answered her question.

"Uh, she was okay last time I talked to her."

"Did she go out of town on a business trip?" Booth sighed; of course Bones would rule out the possibility of them breaking up without him telling her.

"Not really. She went back to New York on Monday."

"You broke up with her?" Brennan didn't even try to hide her surprise (and was Booth imaging a hint of joy?). "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was kind of sudden, and _there was no reason to_," he added, only slightly mocking her earlier excuse. Brennan sighed, knowing she deserved it. After another quiet moment, she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I know you really cared about her."

"Yeah, but sometimes these things just don't work out."

"Why didn't you tell me after it happened?"

"I'm a guy, Bones. And guys don't talk about their feelings."

"Why not?"

"I don't know; we just don't."

It was only silent for a moment before she added, "I don't think you're generalization about men discussing feelings is accurate. Sweets is a man, and he tries to get us to share our feelings every time we meet."

"Sweets is a twelve year old with a degree in psychology. And he wants _us_ to talk about our feelings; not his."

"Sweets isn't twelve- oh, you were saying that since he is so much younger than you think of him as the same age as your son."

They continued their normal banter as they reached the Hoover building and made their way up to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed them inside alone, Bones sighed, "How exactly am I supposed to tell Sweets this? I don't usually talk about things like this, especially with him. I usually just talk to you or Angela about this…"

"Just tell him that you were trying to stay on the case, but since Larry didn't confess you thought you should tell us before your records came or something like that."

"And when he asks me about you? I mean why you reacted the way you did last night; from what you told me, you acted odd."

"Yeah; if he brings it up, then I'll handle it. But you know how many people would forget the name of someone they only met twice?" he hinted. The anthropologist smiled, knowing exactly what he was implying.

The small ding told them that they had reached their destination, and they exited. They stood outside of Sweets' office, both trying to collect themselves.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Booth asked.

"No. But rationally, it's the best idea." Booth could see her logical walls beginning to fortify, and knew that this was impacting her more that she was letting on.

Brennan took the doorknob in her hand and turned the door, surprising Booth on one side of the door, and Sweets on the other. Luckily, for all of them, Sweets wasn't in a session with a patient.

"Dr. Brennan? Agent Booth? We don't have an appointment, do we?" Sweets asked slightly concerned. He quickly started flipping through his datebook.

"No, but we- I need to discuss something with you, and I asked Booth to come as well." Booth sighed; Brennan could hide emotions like no other, but she couldn't lie if her life depended on it.

"Okay, um, take a seat." The agent and his partner took their usual seats, but they could all feel the tension building in the room. Booth knew that Sweets was just waiting for Bones to crack and admit that she was Mattie, but didn't exactly know Booth's part in it. Plus, it was weird for him and Brennan to just show up unannounced to the psychologist's office. They usually avoided it if at all possible.

"So, I've been withholding some information from this case…" the female doctor started, not surprising anyone in the room. "You, both, know about my family abandoned me, and I was left to the foster system. My senior year, I was living in Burtonsville. My foster family was verbally abusive, and their son tormented me on a regular basis. He was twenty, but still lived with his parents, and if he wasn't mocking me, he made inappropriate remarks towards me. I dealt with it until after I graduated, and then I reported it. I thought they would emancipate me, but instead they said I could change my name and appearance and send me to a new home. And that's how and why I became Mattie Christine Johnston, the foster daughter of Larry and Kirra Jordan." Her eyes began to glaze over with tears, but she continued anyway. "They were physically violent towards me, usually because of some form of alcohol. I was there for a couple of months, before the abuse was found, and they let me leave the system a couple of months early."

The office went silent, no one knowing what to see. Brennan's eyes had been locked on Booth's the entire time, giving him more answers then he had asked for. His heart broke hearing about her foster family before the Jordans. She had never been lucky in the system, and had somehow managed to become this incredible woman; it amazed Booth that she could have gone through so much and never faltered on the differences between right and wrong. If anything, it only enforced it.

After her story, their eye contact did not break, but intensified. After a few minutes, Sweets cleared his throat gaining the two's attention. "Why didn't you tell someone when you first identified the victim as Kirra Jordan?"

"I had already put time into identifying her, and I didn't see how it was relevant. I haven't seen or spoken to her since her trial. I didn't know she had even been released from jail until she was identified. I thought that my involvement was meaningless, and my skills would help solve her murder faster." Sweets nodded, though it was obvious that she was hiding something. Her eyes had fallen away from her partner's chocolate brown ones and to the ground as she wiped away the tears that were on the verge of falling.

"You know that we have to officially ask you questions, now right?"

"No, we don't. Bones wasn't even in town when Kirra was murdered. She would have died while Bones was in the Malipopo Islands."

"It's the Maluku Islands; and I agree with Booth's assessment." The psychologist shook his head. He knew what would happen if he tried to pressure her into answering some questions about the case. Both of them would go into defensive mode, and he probably would spend the next month trying to get them to talk to him again.

"Fine. But another anthropologist should verify your results."

"You can talk to any of the anthropology professors in the area or any of the interns. They should be able to tell you if it is Kirra."

"I'll call someone later, Bones." She acknowledged his comment silently. Booth thought he saw her eyes begin to water, and quickly and noiselessly grabbed her hand. "We'll nail Larry for this. Just like last time."

Brennan's head shot up, her eyes were almost popping out of her head. It only took Booth a second to realize what her shock was over. By the time he figured out his mistake her eyes had returned to normal, but the fear and astonishment still filled the grey- blue eyes.

Sweets was just as aware of Booth's words as Brennan. Only he didn't know all the facts… yet. "Agent Booth, what exactly do you mean by 'we'?"


	8. Talking Their Way Out of Trouble

_Booth thought he saw her eyes begin to water, and quickly and noiselessly grabbed her hand. "We'll nail Larry for this. Just like last time."_

_Brennan's head shot up, her eyes were almost popping out of her head. It only took Booth a second to realize what her shock was over. By the time he figured out his mistake her eyes had returned to normal, but the fear and astonishment still filled the grey- blue eyes._

_Sweets was just as aware of Booth's words as Brennan. Only he didn't know all the facts… yet. "Agent Booth, what exactly do you mean by 'we'?"_

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Booth silently cursed himself for using the plural pronoun. He hadn't even done anything to get Larry and Kirra arrested the first time, but he had been around when it happened. But he really didn't need Sweets, or anyone besides Bones, to know that.

"I meant that we'll prove Larry did it, and Bones was in no way involved with the murder. He'll be convicted on this account, just like he was last time his last one," Booth answered. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth.

Sweets nodded, but didn't look convinced, and Brennan had lost her deer-in-the-headlights expression with her partner's words.

"Dr. Brennan, we need to talk about how this must be affecting you-"

"No, we don't. I have no valuable connection to either Larry or Kirra since I saw them last. Her death doesn't bother me, and I can't honestly say I am heart-broken to hear about her death. She and Larry abused me on an almost daily basis."

"So, you're happy she's dead?" Sweets asked, slightly concerned.

"Not necessarily; I would prefer that she remained imprisoned, but my opinion doesn't matter to the justice system in that case."

"Still, this is something we need to continue to discuss." Everyone in the room knew that the psychologist wasn't going to back down, and Booth and Brennan were both eager to leave the office.

"We can discuss it after this case is closed. And since I cannot work on this case, my state of mind does not affect the FBI until Booth and I are assigned another case; and I would like not to have this brought up until then."

Sweets nodded, knowing it was the best he would get out of her for now. "Then I guess I'll see you all Thursday for our usual meeting."

Booth and Brennan both shot up and made their way to the door as quickly as possible, but before they could escape the psychologist's lair, he spoke again. "Agent Booth, can I speak with you for a moment before you go?"

Brennan sent her partner a look of sympathy and relief as his face fell a little. "I'll be in the waiting room when you're done," she told him and slipped out of the room. The agent turned around to look at a slightly bewildered Sweets.

"What? I gave her a ride from the lab."

"Right," he answered, unconvinced. "I wanted to talk to you about last night. When I brought up the possibility that Dr. Brennan was the foster child, you became very agitated. You repeatedly told me that she would have told you. But when she confirmed my suspicions this morning, you seemed perfectly fine with it."

"Trust me, Sweets; my reaction was _not_ fine when she originally told me."

"You talked about it before you came here?"

"Well, yeah, of course. I wanted to find out if you were right, and if you were, I thought she'd want to talk about it before I had no choice but to bring her in for interrogation." _Plus, I wanted to find out why she didn't tell me she was Mattie. But I'm not going to tell you that because I've already denied being the guy who hit Larry, and you might not ever let us leave_.

"Okay, but the fact that she is your partner and didn't tell you must have upset you and-"

"Sweets, get to the point." Booth was getting annoyed with the psychologist and wanted to get out of the office to his partner.

"I think it would be best if you separated yourself from this case, as well."

"What? Why?"

"Dr. Brennan is your partner- your friend. A woman that eighteen months ago you told me you were in love with. I know that's not the case now, but it does indicate the strong connection you two have, the one that has been building for almost six years; and the fact she's involved hinders your ability to objectively investigate this case."

"But this is my case!" the agent protested.

"I know, but if Assistance Director Hacker finds out then you'll lose the case anyway."

"Well, that won't happen until her case file gets here this afternoon. Give me until then to try to get Larry to confess."

Sweets sighed. It was no secret that Booth and Brennan had the best closure rate at the bureau, so allowing them a little extra time to work on the case couldn't hurt too much. At least, that was Sweets' hoped. "Fine, but after her file gets here then I don't have any choice but to tell him."

"Great, I'll see you this afternoon." Booth shot out the door before Sweets could stop him. He rushed to close the door behind him before finding himself looking into light blue crystals that resided on his partner's face. "Ready to go?"

After a quick nod, the doctor stood up and followed the agent to the elevator. "What did Sweets want to talk to you about?"

"He wants me to back off the case since you're involved. I told him I wouldn't until I was ordered."

"He'll take this to Andrew, Booth. And he'll most likely take you off the case."

"Yeah, which is why Sweets agreed to give me until your file shows up this afternoon. So, I figure I'll take you back to the lab and then try to talk to Larry-"

"I want to come with you."

"Bones, you can't. If I so much as take you in the interrogation room with me, then whatever we get will go out the window when it's taken to a judge."

"Please, Booth. He's trying to blame me for Kirra's death... Please." Booth was slightly shocked to hear his partner plea to him. When he looked at her, she looked so innocent but at the same time, vulnerable. It was one of the first times he saw the seventeen year old who thought she had been abandoned at the park staring at him, instead of his confident partner.

"It's that important to you?" She nodded, and with that he knew he could not deny her. "Okay, fine. let's go talk to Larry."


	9. A Friendly Chat Part 2

It took a single phone call from Booth to have Larry transported back to the Hoover building for another round of questioning, and the time in between was spent in the agent's office. But when it came time, Booth and Brennan made their way towards the interrogation room from his workplace.

"Bones, are you sure you want see Larry. I mean, I'd understand why you wouldn't…"

"For the eleventh time, yes, I'm positive this is what I want to do."

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to because-"

"Booth," she cut him off, "I want to do this, if for no other reason than to face one of my childhood fears."

"Childhood fears?" The agent definitely hadn't seen that one coming. Bones was one of the most fearless people he'd ever met, but this bag of slime had physically and emotionally harmed her during the most vulnerable time of her life. "I hate he had that type of effect on you."

"I know; that's one reason I didn't give you the name of my foster parents."

"It had nothing to do with the fact I knew you as Mattie Johnston?" Booth practically whispered, afraid an innocent passer- by would hear.

"That was a much larger reason," she sighed. It was then they reached their destination and another agent, Thompson. He was new, but like everyone else at the bureau had instantly seen the connection between the anthropologist and FBI agent. He had also been the one to bring Larry in.

"Man, you got a talkative one waiting for you, guys. He about talked my ear off about how he was innocent of everything and everyone was out to get him. It shouldn't be too hard to get what you want out of him either. He isn't exactly the brightest I've ever seen."

"Thank you, but I'm not going to talk to him," Brennan answered. "I'll be watching from the observatory while Booth conducts the interview."

"Right… well, good luck, anyway," he responded, sending a confused look to Booth as he walked away.

"Thanks," Booth answered before turning to his partner. "Okay, Bones, I know you think you've already agreed to this, but if I don't make this clear then you'll probably storm into the interrogation. You cannot go in that room; no matter what that asshole says about you or anything that's happened."

"I thought I had already agreed to this by saying I was only going to watch from the observation area."

"Bones, just promise me. Please?" There was silence. Booth knew that it would be hard for her to actually agree, but he needed her to. Finally, she let out a barely audible sound that could be interpreted as an "Okay."

The agent watched as his partner retreated into her hidden area before he took a deep breath and entered the room for a second time in less than twenty- four hours.

"Hey, there, Larry, looks like you haven't gotten that lawyer yet," Booth greeted.

"Did know of any good ones I could afford and I don't have much respect for the public ones considering how well they did for me last time."

"Well, I just was curious if you were willing to give me an alibi, yet, seeing as that's all we really need to check on before you can go."

"I ain't going to take the risk until you talk to Mattie or whatever the hell her name was. And last time I checked you couldn't even find her," Larry added the last part with a smirk that Booth just wanted to wipe off the arrogant parolee's face.

His next sentence accomplished that task. "I talked to her this morning."

The smirk quickly turned into a frown. "You're bluffin'."

"Nope. She says she can't remember the name of the young man who attacked you either."

"What's your name? That'll be your answer."

"Larry, do you really think the FBI would let me be here if I was the one who attacked you?"

"You might not have told them."

"And your foster daughter just hid from everyone that I was the guy?"

"Yep."

"You really believe you've done nothing wrong, don't you?"

"Everything I've done has been well deserved by them."

"So beating a girl who had been sent to you for protection was okay because you got drunk and she made you a little mad? What about killing your ex-wife because she divorced you and you blamed her for sending you to prison?"

"Yes! I mean no!" Larry shouted. And with that Booth knew this guy wanted to admit his deadly deed; he just needed a little push before it all came spilling out.

"So, you didn't beat Mattie Johnston? Because I've got a whole file with evidence saying you did. Or are you saying that you didn't kill Kirra Jordan? Because I'm building a case that says you did that too."

"That bitch deserved it!" Booth couldn't help but let a smile show for a brief second; had Larry just admitted to murder? "She came into _my_ house using words longer than my name and trying to act all smart. After working twelve hour shifts, I couldn't deal with someone pretending to be smarter than they were." Booth smile faded. Larry was only admitting to hurting the girl formally known to Booth as Mattie Johnston.

"Let me tell you, Larry, the woman Mattie Johnston became is the smartest person I've ever had the honor of knowing. She didn't _have _to pretend to be a genius."

"So you _do _know her!"

"Like I said I talked to her this morning. And she was willing to give me an alibi that checked out. That just leaves you as a suspect; unless you can give me a solid explanation of your whereabouts when Kirra Jordan disappeared."

"Told you, my ex is still pissed that I left her and will do whatever to get back at me."

"Of course," Booth sarcastically answered, though it seemed lost on his main audience.

"Finally, you believe me."

"Here's what I believe: you have an anger issue, when you get annoyed you like to take it out on someone. When Bone- Mattie Johnston lived with you, she proved she was smarter than you, so you hurt her to bring her down a notch. Then when her social worker found out, you got arrested with your wife. But the prosecution offered her deal that if she flipped on you, she wouldn't have to serve as long. And she took them up on it, leaving you to fend for yourself. And when she got out, she divorced your sorry ass. You had four years to figure out to get revenge, so when you got out all you had to do was get your hands on a gun and find Kirra. Luckily for you, she didn't change her name, so it wasn't hard to get her address from the internet or phonebook; and once you saw her, you put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. You got her body and buried it in the local park and forgot you ever came to DC."

All color drain out of Larry's face, and his eyes began to bulge out of his head. "You ain't got no evidence." He tried to sound confident, but his shaky voice destroyed any chance of convincing the agent.

"Really? Then give me your ex's name and I'll check your alibi." Then men began a staring contact neither could afford to lose. After about three and half minutes of the silent battle of wills, Larry's eyes changed from looking at Booth to the door behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" All vulnerability from earlier had left the older man's voice, and only irritation remained. Booth turned around and silently prayed he his brain tumor had returned and he was hallucinating again. Because otherwise, Brennan was standing in the doorway.


	10. Getting What They Needed

Booth stared at his partner who had just entered the interrogation. She had _promised_ him that she would stay in the observation room; that she wouldn't have any interaction with Larry. He honestly could care less about how it affected the investigation, especially after her admission earlier that day.

When he first looked at her, she looked at her foster father the way she did at Booth when he 'rescued her from airport security' the day their partnership began, the look full of anger and some disgust. She was the smart, independent woman Booth had known for the past several years. But the moment he looked a little deeper into her eyes, he saw the scared girl he had met in Chicago. The one that had been hurt by the man sitting across the table from him.

"I asked what the hell you were doing in here, girl!" Larry repeated himself, beginning to stand up and move threateningly moving towards Brennan.

"Larry, shut up and sit down!" Booth wouldn't have let a suspect talk to anyone like that, but the fact it was Larry speaking to Bones just about made him lose it again. And with him moving towards the woman, it took every ounce of self control Booth could muster not to pull out his gun and shoot Larry. Instead he positioned himself protectively between Larry and Brennan. He looked at her and asked, "Can I speak to outside?" She simply nodded in reply.

The moment the door closed behind Booth, the woman started trying to explain herself. "I'm sorry, Booth. It wasn't a good idea for me to go in there, I know that. But I couldn't think of another way to get you out of there. Cam called me with something I think you should know." She waited to judge his reactions.

"And…?"

"Hodgins was able to find some skin under Kirra's finger nails, and he compared the DNA to the hair sample they processed when you arrested him. There was a 99.3% match. That's enough to convict him in any reasonable court." Booth heard what she said, but was more interested in the emotions she was trying to hide, more than anything, her vulnerability.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because that's the first interaction you've had with Larry since you testified against him."

"Yes, but I can compartmentalize."

"Bones…" His tone made it obvious that there was no reason to hide anything from him.

"Fine, I'll admit I'll feel more comfortable when he's put back in prison."

"We always get the bad guy. This time won't be any different." They both knew he would do everything in his power to keep that promise. "We've got enough to arrest him, now. Let me go and tell him, and then we can gather all the squints and go to the diner or the bar."

She agreed, and Booth opened his arms for a guy hug which Brennan readily accepted. They stood there for a minute, enjoying the warmth the other provided. Booth hadn't realized how much he had missed this feeling. He and Bones had been back in Washington for months, but he had felt a little guilt whenever he and Bones had exchanged any intimate hugs or touches. So he had avoided all of them since he and Hannah had been reunited. But that was no longer a factor.

Finally, Brennan pulled away. "Thank you, Booth."

Before the agent had a chance to respond, she slid back into the observation room leaving him alone in the middle of the hallway. Booth sighed and entered the interrogation room.

"You got her watching this?" Larry asked the moment Booth came in.

"Yeah. She's a consultant for us. But she came in to tell me that the lab happened to find some skin cells underneath what was left of Kirra's fingernails. And since they took some DNA samples from you recently, they went ahead and compared it to yours. It came back a 99.3% match; do you know how the possibility that it's not yours? About zero percent. How would you like to explain that?" Larry paled immediately, though he looked as though he was trying to intimidate Booth with a stare, even if his own nerves were getting in the way. "At this point, you don't have to admit anything; we've got motive, means, and opportunity. We can place you with her near the time of her death, and you've the rage for it. It won't take the jury ten minutes to convict you."

Larry hung his head, and quietly said, "Damn it."

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**Sorry this chapter is a little short, but I thought it should end here... But what are you guys think about this so far?**


	11. Mistakes & Their Apologizes

**I'm sorry this took so long to get up. I was planning to post this Thursday, but then a bunch of stuff came up, and anyway, it's up now. :)

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**

Booth spent the next hour getting Larry's confession and dealing with all the paperwork that was need to get him a holding cell for the next few months or however long it was until his trial. Brennan was next to him a majority of the time, trying to speed up the process. Booth offered to take her back to the lab several times, but every time she came up with a reason why she needed to stay at the Hoover building.

By twelve o'clock, all forms were filed and Larry was in a hold cell. Booth had called in some Thai food and it had been delivered to his office, so Booth and Brennan were eating their usual orders over his desk. They were laughing and talking like they had a year prior, before everything had changed. Both thought the moment was too good to last more than a few minutes, so they tried to savor it for as long as possible. Finally, it was spoiled in the form of a knock.

In Booth's doorway stood Caroline with a child's social service record in hand. "Cherie."

"Hey, Caroline." Booth greeted, swallowing his last bit of food. Brennan nodded in greeting, since her mouth was full of noodles. "What's up?"

"Your file came into my office a few minutes ago." Brennan quickly swallowed her food.

"Mattie Johnston's?"

"Mm-hmm. Well, that's not exactly your real name, is it, Cherie?"

"Caroline, Clark's doing all the bone work on this case and no one at the Jeffersonian even knows about Bones' connection," Booth quickly defended. Caroline gave him a glare that would have scared most men.

"But the arresting agent did?"

"Not if he's asked in court."

"Booth! That would imply you were willing to perjure yourself!" Brennan replied with a hint of worry and a lot of scolding in her voice.

"If you look at the tape, you can see that I act very professional and as unbiased as I should have been. Plus, he was the prime suspect before Bones told me that she was Mattie." He decided to ignore Brennan accurate comment.

"You're both still connected to this case. And last time someone was personally connected to a case without being a victim then the accused walked away."

"I won't be trying to protect Larry as I was my father. In fact, I'd rather like to see him back in prison."

"Plus, if you make a deal with him then this whole case won't go to court." Both women shot Booth a surprised look. "Instead of life offer him like thirty years; he'll be in his seventies or eighties when he gets out- assuming he makes it out alive. The guy can't afford any good lawyers and doesn't trust the public defenders, so it shouldn't be too hard to convince him to take a deal."

"If he doesn't, both of you are in trouble."

"Yeah, we know."

Caroline tossed the file onto Booth's desk. "In case you decide you need to read it." She was about half way out of the door when she turned back to Brennan. "I'm happy you're alright, Dr. Brennan."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Brennan asked clearly confused. Caroline let out a smirk and walked out of the office without answering the anthropologist's question. She turned to Booth and repeated the question.

"How much do you remember about the day in the park?" he asked back in a hushed voice.

"Just that I went to get water for you and Jett, and when I came back you were gone. I thought you had taken Jett back to his house and forgotten me at the park… But then you came back and told me that no one could ever forget me."

"And no one has. Jett has asked me on more than one occasion to try and find you, which I've told him no, per your request. So have my aunt and uncle, by the way. But anyway, Jett and I asked a mom and her daughter to look for you in the bathroom when we couldn't find you. Turns out fate didn't just bring us together."

"Caroline?"

"Caroline."

"Then why didn't she say anything to you?"

"Because she never knew my name. At least not until a few years after I started working here. Never made the connection."

"Oh… Jett's really asked about me?" Booth was happy to see that she still cared about his cousin even after over fifteen years.

"Oh yeah. It was really bad right after I started working here, but he still asks a couple times of year."

"What has he done with his life?"

"He's working as a medic for the Army. He's debating between a medical doctor and pathologist."

"The Army will most likely give him some experience in both those fields."

"That's what he's hoping." Booth looked at his partner in time to see a smile spread across her face. He silently watched her, as she looked down at her food. After a few moment, he had to say something that had been bothering him. "I'm sorry, Bones."

"For what? I should be apologizing to you for not informing you about my past."

"I mean I'm sorry for what I said to you in the hospital, when Jett got hurt. When I told you that you shouldn't have anything to do with kids. It was a stupid thing to say and I regretted it about three minutes after you went back for the check up. I was going to apologize next time you came by, but you never did. I even asked my aunt to tell you if she saw you or to give you my number."

"Then why did you say it?" Brennan asked. She seemed a little hurt by the memory, and Booth felt another pang of guilt from his stupid actions from that day.

"I was worried and took it out on you. Jett was a good kid but still just a kid; he did something stupid that no one could have stopped. And for reason I thought you should have, but looking back, I know I wouldn't have been able to stop him and I had no right to think you could. It's been one of those things I've always regretted, Bones."

"I forgave you a long time ago for it, Booth. Though I often have wondered why you said it."

"Well you've got your answer know…"

"Thank you." Booth smiled but still wasn't completely relieved. He only had to think for a second before knowing what he had to do. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down an email address and handed it to Brennan. "What's this?"

"Jett's email address. I know he'd love to hear from you. And I think you want to talk to him to."

"Yes, I would." She had one of her genuine smiles which made Booth's heart race a little faster. He knew that everything would work out.

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**So, basically, I have an epilogue of some sort and then this story is done... So, what are you guys thinking?**


	12. Epilogue

**Okay, here's the epilogue. I hope you guy have enjoyed the story. :)

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**

Brennan sighed. Larry had accepted Caroline's offer of thirty- five years three months prior, which had put her mind at ease. As soon as he had signed all of the necessary paperwork, Brennan had decided it would be best to tell her friends about her connection to Larry and Kirra. To say they were surprised would be an understatement. Angela had all but gone to hurt Larry herself, though the moment she had calmed down she had begged Brennan to tell her anything she remembered about the man who had beat Larry and Kirra for her honor. Booth and she had made an agreement to continue to keep his connection to the case a secret, just in case someone heard and decided to get the man out. But Angela had been asking Brennan anything and everything she could about the 'mystery' man, and Brennan had done her best to provide enough information to satisfy her friend's curiosity without giving away his identity. She had managed to only tell Angela Jett's first name and leave out that she had made contact with him again.

At least until the artist came into her office unexpectedly one day while Brennan was finishing up an email to the child she babysat a lifetime ago.

"Hey, Sweetie, do you want to go grab something from the diner?"

"In a minute, Ange, I want to finish this email."

"Who are you emailing?"

"A friend from my time in the foster system."

"Is it the mystery friend you can't remember?"

Brennan rolled her eyes before responding, "No."

"Well, when you're done with the letter, do you want to go to the diner?"

"Sure." Angela sat down and picked up a book from Brennan's table and thumbed through it while her friend finished.

After a few minutes, another person entered the room. "Hey, Bones, have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I'm going to the diner with Angela when I'm done with this letter." Angela looked up at her name, and noticed Booth was oblivious to her presence, as was Brennan apparently.

"Letter to whom?"

"Jett," Brennan answered, never looking up from her computer. Angela's mouth dropped in that moment. She wanted to ask her friend why she hadn't mentioned her new pen pal, but had a feeling that she would tell Booth more than she would her.

"Tell him I say hi." Angela knew she couldn't ask the questions on her mind, because she was a little too shocked to speak; Booth _knew _Jett well enough to say hi? And why wasn't he as surprised as she was?

"I will."

"Great, if you're plans fall through with Angela, let me know." And he walked out of the office, never noticing the artist gaping.

Brennan pressed the send button, and looked up to see Angela looking expectantly at her. The anthropologist thought she had returned to her own office, and instantly realized she must have been there during hers and Booth's short conversation. "Have you been there the whole time?"

"Yeah… You didn't tell me you were emailing the kid you babysat."

"You didn't ask me if I was."

"No, but you said it was his cousin who tried to protect you. You could at least get a name."

"I'm not going to, Ange."

"Aren't you the least bit curious? This guy was the Booth before you knew Booth."

"That doesn't make sense," Brennan laughed.

"He acted like Booth would have if he had been there." Brennan wasn't sure if she should be afraid of Angela figuring out Booth was the mystery man or laugh at the irony of the situation.

"He was being over protective of me. I told him I could take care of myself, but he didn't listen to me." Brennan proceeded to mutter, "And he still doesn't."

Angela heard the secondary comment, however. And everything suddenly clicked into place in the mind. "Oh…My…God. He isn't!"

"Who isn't what?"

"Booth's the mystery man, isn't he?" Brennan's face gave away the truth, and Angela let out a squeal. And with that Brennan knew that the secret would be spread throughout the squint squad by the end of the day. _At least Angela doesn't know about the latest development in our relationship..._


End file.
